In the morning, my brother Ron (who lives an hour south of Seattle)
drove my other brother Russ and my mom (who both live near me, near
Portland) from Ron's house to the dock. There, we go through the
normal boarding process to get aboard the MS Amsterdam, one of
Holland America's most modern ships.

After the ship pulls out, Captain Neil treats us to food and drinks
while going over the activities of the week. Many introductions are made,
many drinks are consumed.